jaimerative art ~ a space of exponential love

Project
You Are the Source is an audiovisual installation composed of generative visuals which react to the audience’s participation. The participant is invited to enter a space and listen to audio meditation for 10 minutes. The audio input of the breath is projected on the wall, mirroring the energy and presence within a sensitive space of awareness.

The title of the work draws inspiration from a poem by Jalaluddin Rumi. “If you’re looking for the soul, you’re the soul. If you’re looking for the bread, you’re the bread. And if you could understand this particular idea you’ll understand that all you’re looking for is you.” I wanted to experiment with the idea of one’s own inward meditative experience being expressed and visualized through the outer, and immersive, space. Generative visuals, and specifically vector fields visually represent the energy of the breath as well as the physical to digital exchange taking place. Showing the unity and separation of the interior and exterior, exploring duality with the sense of empowering the participant of their agency.

Meditation
The meditation script draws from the title. The meditation was inspired by yoga nidra, which is a sleep-based meditation that induces a state of consciousness between waking and sleeping. I invite the user to use their breath to move energy throughout the body, creating a deep sense of inner calm and exploring the ways breath can reach every cell. The meditation also takes into consideration the exchange of breath as is parallel to receiving (letting go of resistance) and giving (transmuting).

click here to listen to the meditation on soundcloud

Setup
A large monitor was used to connect to a Mac mini running TouchDesigner, which was connected to a keyboard and a headset. The keyboard was fabricated to give the participant instructions to push the only key available, which would start the audio meditation. Then the participant would put on the headset and sit down in the lounge chair. As the meditation would play, the participant would follow along with the breath sequences which were captured through the headset and then displayed through the movement of particles. If the breath was deep and with a large exhale the particles would grow larger and move faster. The participant would have a visual reference to their uniqueness and the subtleties of their breath.

Visuals & installation
The visuals, as well as the audio-reactive component and projector output, were all done using TouchDesigner. I used a generative vector field to simulate visually the energetic movement of the breath. This was an ideal generative design for me as the algorithm can model a given magnitude and direction of a magnetic, gravitational force moving along a path, as well as show the implications of that force as it moves. The audio-reactive component would adjust the velocity within the main GLSL component and the scale of each particle, as well as the color movement through a radial gradient and noise TOP and the visibility of a light source.

The directional movement of the particles naturally flows inwards giving a vortex-like image, and when the audio is activated the particles push outwards as if the force is coming from within.
I chose colors that could evoke tranquility and a sense of inner wisdom, mostly blue and indigo. These colors filtered over the noise spectrum which gave subtle glimpses in between, and when the particles were adjusted from the audio input, the colors would splash between one another giving a rain-like effect.

Exhibitions
Exhibited at Galerie D in Romainville, France for “How did we get here?” Parsons Art, Media and Technology and Design and Technology alumni exhibition, November-December 2022.

Footage

Credits
Art Direction, Concept, Visual programming, and Installation Setup (by me)

Project
Hopelessly mixed together was an installation where the participant can look inside a box completely covered with reflective paper. A sensor detects the movement inside the box and then records the participant as they are looking inside. After a few seconds, the recording is finished and the participant’s recording is placed within a grid, along with all the other participants who had looked inside the box before. The reflective space inside the box then shows a grid of all recordings that had passed, showing all participants mixed within the space.

Title and concept
The title came from a line by Edward Said in the documentary film Black Athena. I enjoyed the expressivity of it and how it subtly points to the recognition that all is one. I wanted to experiment with moving bodies in a confined space and to show how although we are uniquely different, as humans we are all interconnected and we all mirror each other.

Setup
The setup was done using PureData. The webcam would trigger a sensor which would then activate a timer during which the webcam would record the participant's movement inside of the box. Once finished the recording would be placed alongside a sequence of other participants' recordings who had come before and after. The box was constructed using wood and painted black on the outside.There was a small hole big enough for someone to fit their head inside, facing a monitor. The sides, front, top, and bottom were covered with reflective paper and the participant would be viewing the sequence of other recordings while their video was recorded.

Credits
Art Direction, Concept (by me), Visual programming (by me and Nicolas Maigret) , Installation setup (by me, Nicolas Maigret, and Amaury Remusat)

Project
This was a collaboration with net artist Catalina Vallejos aka Kintrala. I created the video composting and generative visual effects using PureData and adjusted these settings with a midi controller. My face would be projected on the wall using a webcam while Catalina would perform. I would act as a mirror or her muse and would mimic the lyrics she was singing. While performing I would mix my face with different visual effects and I also reached out to the netart community and asked others to send me a short video clip of theirselves. The vibes of all of us staying home on the computer feed into Kintrala's song.

Setup
The video composting was created using PureData. Since we were working with the concept of the internet and net art, I reached out to the netart community to send me 3-second recordings of them using a webcam. I composted these recordings with my recordings as well as the real-time visuals.

Performances
The first performance was at Glitch fest at Parsons Paris. We then also performed at the annual MacVal Exhibition in Créteil, France.

Credits
Performers (me and Catalina Vallejos)